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Bonito Rice/Story
Fondness Story i. Abandon I don't really remember what my Attendant looks like anymore. The only thing I remember is how he looked at me when he summoned me. I'll never forget that. “How come there's a pair of cat ears? Tsk… at least it's a Food Soul. Forget it.” I didn't even have time to explain, the man had already turned around and left. I immediately chased after him. I'm not what you would call a combat Food Soul. When it comes to hand-eye coordination, I'm really bad. I guess you could say I'm not particularly good at anything. I held onto the corners of my clothes as Master Attendant snarled at me. “Why are you so useless! I guess you'll do as a shield.” The Fallen Angel in front of me was spitting out terrifying black flames. Just as its giant hands began to attack my Master Attendant, I was pulled in front of him as a shield. Needless to say, I was knocked up into the sky by those hands meant to go through him. Master Attendant didn't even hesitate when he saw me fly into the sky... He turned and ran, abandoning me. I closed my eyes and waited for death. However, the Fallen Angel simply looked at me before chasing after Master Attendant. I saw Master Attendant be hunted down by the Fallen Angel. I also saw him collapsed in a pool of blood... I fled in terror as the ground turned red. When I finally returned to the town, struggling from my heavy injuries, I stared at my hands... I'm useless... Utterly useless... After Master Attendant passed away, I wandered around the town aimlessly. I worked random jobs to make ends meet. However, these jobs didn't last long. I always ended up getting fired. It was pouring rain that day. The gloomy weather reflected how I felt; despondent. I sat in that old grass cabin and looked upwards to stare at the seemingly endless rain. I'm so useless; I should have just ended my life and held onto that Fallen Angel. At the very least, Master Attendant would have survived. I made up my mind. I stood up and walked out into the rain, towards the outskirts, infested with Fallen Angels. Just as I was about to leave town, an umbrella suddenly appeared and shielded me from the pelting rain. “Where are you going? Where's your umbrella in this heavy rain? Those outskirts are filled with dangerous monsters.” “...” “Do you have nowhere to go?” “...I...” “You look awfully pitiful... Like an abandoned kitten. Why don't you come with me? A lot of your companions are with me.” The house wasn't that big, but it was filled with cats. Those kittens weren't afraid of people. When they saw me, they came and curiously sniffed me. I guess they felt comfortable with me. Those little kittens came towards me and gently snuggled around me; those fluffy balls tenderly clustered around my feet. There was one Dragon Li cat pitifully meowing at me because my feet were completely surrounded by other cats. Looking at the Dragon Li cat piteously meowing at me, at a complete loss, the man loudly laughed. He approached me and patted my head with his hands. “Even they think you're their companion! I guess taking you home was the right choice!” ii. Cat That guy who took me home was a well known cat-lover around town. He took home almost all the stray cats around town. Some people even send cats to his house when they couldn't take care of them anymore from a variety of reasons. He told me I looked just like those stray cats the day he saw me, abandoned by their owners. That's why he couldn't resist the urge to bring me home. I slowly lifted my head in confusion when I saw the chubby cats he took care of. I asked him: "I... looked like them?" "Ahahaha! That's right! You even have a pair of cat ears!" I have to say, I enjoyed spending time with this man much more than the man in my past. All I had to do was help clean up, maintain the cats’ hygiene, and feed the little ones. The three small Dragon Li cats loved to eat fish, and the fat orange cat loved to eat chicken. Every little cat had their favorites, and I remembered each and every one. "Bonito Rice! You even made food for the cats! Where's mine?" "I... I forgot..." I saw the expression on his face, looking snubbed, and suddenly thought. Ah... I think I forgot to make food for him... I lowered my head, tightly gripped my shirt and bit my lip. Now he's going to think I'm useless too... Instead of being scolded, to my relief, he placed his hand on my shoulders. "Oh nevermind! We'll go out to eat today!" I lifted my head, surprised, and looked at the smiling and laughing man; I froze and blinked. "You... You're not going to blame me?" "Of course not! Over something this small!? Let's go!" As I looked at him chowing down on his food, I couldn't help but hold the bowl in my hands and take two bites. "That's the way!" I rubbed my full and swollen stomach as I walked behind the man. He had his hands behind his head as he walked, looking up at the night sky. "Bonito Rice, do you know?" "Hm?" "Cats are far more sensitive than we think, they don't even want people to see their own death." "...Oh." "So that's why I want to treat them better." I nodded my head as I saw his shadows stretch from the moonlight. "Yep!" I think... I think this is where I belong. iii. Solitary I always thought my life would be plain and simple. Just like me, without color or excitement. However, that always smiling man disappeared one day. Just like those old cats living out the last of their days, the man had disappeared from my sight. I thought I had been abandoned again. When the little Dragon Li cats began to circle around me, I realized I needed to remain focused and prepare food for them. I found a letter within the cooking tools I always used. That smiling man knew that he had an incurable illness... He couldn’t take care of us any longer... When he found me on the streets. My eyes were filled with despair, almost as if I want to leave this world. So he decided to have me take his place and continue to take care of these cats. He was very sorry for originally having a motive to use me to care for the cats. But he sincerely hoped that I could be just like these cats: to find somewhere to belong to and cease my existence as a stray. He left behind a small sum of money for me to continue living and caring for these cats without any worry. Perhaps he only approached me so someone could care for these cats. But, he gave me so much more. He gave me purpose and life again. I finished reading his letter and gathered myself. I didn’t know how to feel... All I could think of was thank you... Even though your intentions were selfish at first, it was all for the greater good. I will take care of them, just like how you took care of us. iv. Private School In an age where Fallen Angels are a constant threat, even humanity has a hard time finding food. Making sure these kittens don’t go hungry is an extremely hard task. Stray cats were even more likely to face this situation. One day, as I was scavenging for food, I heard the cries of a cat in the distance. It sounded like a kitten. High pitched and very weak. I followed the cries into the Cherry Blossom Forest. As I followed the cries of the kitten deeper into the Fallen Angel infested forest, I found myself standing in front of a school. I saw the small kitten jump into the arms of a man. The man noticed me following the cries of the little kitten, and looked at me. “Oh... Did you follow him here? Why don’t you come in.” This man was Sanma Shioyaki, he’s the only teacher in this place. In this day and age, there are many weaker Food Souls left to fend for themselves. If they were to come across the wrong person, they would end up living a very unfortunate life. Sanma’s school not only housed younger and weaker Food Souls, but he also had a lot of cats. I picked up one of his kittens and patted its stomach. “Why don’t you bring your cats over and stay with me here? I just so happen to need a helper. Also, the cats won’t be so lonely.” I blankly stared at him, and lightly nodded my head. The Torii Institute is a very beautiful place surrounded by sakura trees. During the flowering season, its scenery was like that of a painting’s. Sanma Shioyaki had also rid the place of Fallen Angels. You could say this was a little safe haven. But for some reason, I felt lost. Sanma Shioyaki is very hard-working Food Soul. He also has a Food Soul who stops by often to help. She’s a young and beautiful Food Soul with pink hair, called Sakuramochi. The two of them were able to care for and manage the school. But I was different... I couldn’t find where to fit in. I wanted to do something for them too. Sakuramochi seemed to notice my discomfort. One day, she came and sat by me, staring at me with those beautiful eyes. “Bonito Rice, what are you worried about?” “I feel as if I’m of no help.” “Why would you say that! You’ve been helping us care for the cats!” “Really... Right!” “Right! Stop worrying! This is your home too!” Perhaps this is the kind of feeling of belonging I’m missing. Thank you. Thank you all for your kind words. Regardless of whether they’re true or not, it’s the thought that counts. v. Bonito Rice "One, two, three, four, five... Eh...” Sakuramochi watched Bonito Rice chow down on his food. Bonito Rice seemed to realize something, and walked over towards Sakuramochi. “What’s wrong?” “There seems to be a cat missing.” “Maybe it went out to play.” “What! That’s not good! There’s a lot of Fallen Angels out there.” “I’ll go look for it!” Bonito Rice left the school and began looking for the little cat. He finally found it in a small cabin. “Excuse me... Is there anyone here?” “Meow...” “There you are! I was looking everywhere! Come out now!” Not only did Bonito Rice find his cat, but he also found a fellow lost soul, completely devoid of hope. Someone who wanted to leave this world. It was Raindrop Cake. A fellow Food Soul. When Bonito Rice saw Raindrop Cake, the other Food Soul reminded him of himself. Like Raindrop Cake, Bonito Rice was once hopeless and lost, only to be reinvigorated thanks to his friends. He wanted to pay it forward and help Raindrop Cake find himself again. Bonito Rice was never a lucky Food Soul. He never had a good Master Attendant. His Master Attendant used him as a meat shield when the Fallen Angel attacked. But who would have thought that the Fallen Angel would leave him and go for his Master Attendant. That was the first time Bonito Rice was abandoned. After that, Bonito Rice became very cautious and introverted. He’s not very gifted when it comes to working, and can often be very clumsy. It was because of this that he often found himself being fired from jobs. Finally, he decided to give up on his life. Thankfully, there was a kind old man who stepped in. After that man left this world, the school provided Bonito Rice with a real family. Upon receiving everyone’s help, Bonito Rice wanted to do something in return. He wanted to be like them! He hoped that one day he could help others. When he met Raindrop Cake locked away in that dark little cabin, he knew what he had to do. Bonito Rice reached out his hand, just like his friends had once, to help Raindrop Cake. Bonito Rice wanted to help him find himself again. “I am Bonito Rice.” Category:Food Soul Story